Tapestry
by Tribe Pride 4 Me
Summary: Don't," he murmured, as he extended his hand to clasp mine again. "Yours is the hand that fits in mine - I know you feel it, too." Jacob finally meets his soulmate during Breaking Dawn, but it's not who you think. Reviews are greatly appreciated!
1. Preface

PREFACE

_Late December, eight years ago_

The snow was falling steadily as we walked gingerly down the icy pavement toward our parked car. Mama had an iron grip on my bundled hand, while she firmly grasped my sister Sarah's hand in her other. Concentration on staying upright was foremost in all of our minds, and yet, we couldn't help but let little giggles escape as we temporarily lost our balance from time to time. It had truly been a wonderful evening, in spite of the weather bringing it to a premature end. My mother had driven Sarah and me into Forks, from our home in Beaver, Washington, about 20 miles away, so that we could watch the Rainforest Player's annual Christmas performance. This year it was _A Christmas Carol, _one of my favorites_. _What we didn't realize was that, at the same time that we were watching the fake snow compiling on the theater stage, outside the streets of Forks were beginning to look much the same.

As we walked, I glanced up at the darkened sky to watch the snowflakes swirl softly to the ground around us. I delighted in feeling the cold prickles on my skin as the tiny flakes dissolved on my upturned face. It added to the memories that I knew I'd take from this night. It felt as if we had walked into a snow globe - and having just watched the play, and knowing that Christmas was just days away, something felt almost magical in the air to me. Sooner than I thought, we found ourselves carefully turning onto the street that held our parked car. I wasn't looking forward to sitting on the cold leather seats as the car warmed up, but it was still better than staying out in the cold.

By the looks of it, two other small groups of people had reached their cars on this street as well. They laughed as they called goodbyes to one another - obviously two families who had come to town together for the evening. They were such a jovial group that I couldn't help but smile slightly as I listened to their playful banter. One of the men of their group noticed our family making slow progress toward our own car, and asked if we needed any help in scraping our car windows from the sheet of ice that now covered it.

"No thank you, Billy Black," my mother replied, wryly. "Knowing you, we'd be better off on our own." Her tone was thick with sarcasm.

The two groups took no time guffawing at my mother's retort. I hadn't recognized any of them as people we knew.

"Callie?" the man named Billy asked, when he had regained his breath.

"It's good to know that you haven't lost your memory entirely," my mother replied.

"I didn't recognize you under all the layers," he practically snorted. "Expectin' a blizzard, are ya? Can your girls breathe under all that?" He had a pleasant grin on his face, despite the ribbing he was giving back to Mama.

"It's called being _prepared, _something you wouldn't know much about. Speaking of girls, did you lose yours tonight?"

"Ouch, bro. You should bow out while you have some of your dignity left," the other man said, chuckling all the while. His family had climbed into their car, and he was listening to the exchange between my mother and Billy while he scraped his car windows clean of ice. The man named Billy, on the other hand, had stopped momentarily when he realized who my mother was – seemingly forgetting to unlock his truck doors for his family. His wife was merely smiling sheepishly, while their son curiously looked between my mother and his father.

"Twins had a sleepover," Billy finally responded, still grinning.

"Good to know they're not wandering the streets in this weather…not that _you'd_ let that happen Jenny," my mother said. "It was good to see you and Jacob tonight, anyway." The woman, still smiling, gave my mother a slight wave.

"Merry Christmas," Billy finally conceded, holding up his hand briefly as a goodbye gesture – the grin still wide across his face.

"Merry Christmas to you," my mother said back. "The same to you and your family too, Harry."

The man named Harry waved and grinned at my mother from inside his car, having just climbed in and shut the door. Billy finally went about the business of unlocking his truck's doors. His wife quickly opened the passenger door, and tried to usher Jacob in, but he seemed to be resisting.

Once inside our car, Sarah and I settled in the back seat, while Mama went about clearing the covered windshield with her ice scraper. The car's leather seats were as cold as I had feared they might be – and I began huffing air onto the car window to draw shapes with my fingertip to pass the time. I had drawn a snowman, a bell, and had just finished a Christmas tree when the first feeling of warmth reached my legs. I erased the tree, making larger and larger circles on the now fogged window from the car's heater going at full blast. Through my newly cleared window, I saw the boy named Jacob still lingering outside of the Black's truck. Billy was clearing what looked like the last remnants of ice from the truck's windshield, and Jacob stood – not looking at Billy, but looking at me instead. His gaze surprised me, and my hand stopped in mid swipe on the car window as I peered back at him. Whether he misinterpreted my hand's position, or he thought that I had raised my hand to acknowledge him, he slowly raised his hand to mimic mine. We stayed locked in this awkward position, as if our hands rested on either side of a pane of glass – that was several feet thick rather than inches. His eyes had a hint of confusion from time to time, but still intent - like he didn't quite know why he was staring at me, but he was compelled to nonetheless. I felt the same mixture of confusion and wonder as I indulged my compulsion to stare back at him. We stayed locked in that exchange for what felt like an immeasurable amount of time - but in reality, I began to realize that it was a rather a short time before Mama had climbed into the driver's seat and was ready to begin the drive home.

"Sienna, sweetie, you need to turn around and buckle yourself in. The roads aren't safe tonight," my mother softly urged.

"Yes, Mama," I trailed off, realizing that my voice sounded far away and preoccupied.

"Mama, how did you know those people?" Sarah asked, tentatively.

"Just some old friends of mine," my mother responded. I vaguely thought that her voice sounded far away, just like mine did.

As our car began to move slowly onto the street, I watched as Billy came over to Jacob, giving him a light pat on the back. Jacob's mother was now waiting patiently in the truck cab, as her husband and son still lingered at the truck's rear bumper. For the moment, their glances still rested on our retreating car.

My attention shifted slightly as I heard Mama's stern voice asking me to sit and buckle my seatbelt again. I didn't want to tear myself away from the window, but I knew better than to ignore a second request from Mama - especially when she used that tone. I slowly turned around in my seat, and reluctantly removed my hand from the window to grab the dangling seatbelt next to me. After the task of securing the belt was out of the way, I wasted no time in careening my neck to look back at the Blacks. Billy was now urging Jacob into their waiting truck, just as my mother had urged me back to reality a few moments before. I knew that, unbelievably, I was feeling a reluctance to leave behind a boy that I had never met before – and it unsettled me. With a slightly helpless resolve, I continued to stare through my car window – now fogged slightly again – as Jacob slowly disappeared from my view.


	2. 1 Reunions

1. REUNIONS

If I were being honest, the last thing that I wanted to think about was a wedding.

Weddings are one of those things in life that, if it is happening to you – nothing is more important. If, on the other hand, it's happening to another person - it's something that you have to endure. The thought of spending an entire day in a bridesmaid's dress, which was sure to be ghastly (as most bridesmaids' dresses are,) was giving me a stomach ache. _At least_, I thought to myself, _if my gown_ _was going to be appalling - my sister Sarah's maid of honor gown would be hideous._ I hate to admit it, but a wicked little smile crossed my face as that thought crossed my mind. My sister was one of the nicest people on the planet, so I knew that she would rave about her dress - even if it secretly made her insides crawl. I would enjoy making faces at her at the reception - when I was sure that no one else was looking.

"I don't even want to ask what you are thinking about," Sarah said, pulling me back to the present. We were both hurriedly stuffing a few clothes into our backpacks, so I didn't even notice that she was looking my way.

"I'm just hoping that Emily's taste in dresses is better than the average bride," I replied, still smiling.

Sarah groaned slightly. After a small eye roll, she recovered her typical good humor, though. "All the same, it's nice that they are finally setting a date, don't you think?"

"It is nice," I agreed, softly. It was true that Emily was long overdue for some happiness. Life seemed to have dealt her a heavy hand. A few years ago, she had to recover from a vicious bear attack shortly after she met her fiancé, Sam. I couldn't imagine what it would've been like to meet the man of your dreams, and then have to suffer through such a terrible ordeal. First, the physical pain of her wounds; and then the emotional pain of her horrible facial scars - that would remind her of the incident for the rest of her life. But, through it all, Emily remained the same. Resentment or anger never took hold of her, and today she seemed as happy as if it had never happened. I couldn't help but think that the two people who helped her most at her time of need, Sam and Sarah, would be standing on either side of her as she became a married woman. Of course, these thoughts wiped any teasing that I had planned completely out of my mind – and I was fighting the urge to get emotional over the triumph that this wedding would represent. Saint Sarah struck again.

"Now what's going through that mind of yours?" Sarah asked; a little crease of worry visible between her eyebrows. Why was she so annoyingly perceptive?

"Nothing…you just made me think about what this must mean to Emily," I said. Was it my imagination, or was there a hint of smugness on her face as she bent to zip her backpack shut?

"I'm ready, how about you?" she asked.

"Almost, I just need to grab a few more things from the bathroom," I said.

"Great. I'll be downstairs saying bye to mom," she replied.

I didn't think I needed preening products - after all, we were just going to La Push - so I grabbed the essentials and headed downstairs.

Our mom was leaning against the kitchen counter, holding her morning cup of coffee. Even first thing in the morning, without a shower or any make up, my mother was what anyone would consider beautiful. What's more, she wasn't the type of mother that didn't have a good sense of reality. Sarah, despite being 17, was arguably the most responsible adult in our household – and mom knew it. So, she wasn't telling Sarah to drive slowly, or keep the radio down, or observe traffic laws – instead, she was telling her to have a great time and to send Emily and Sam her love. I loved my mom for that.

"And you, too, _Miss En_," she teased, turning her attention to me after she hugged Sarah.

_Miss En_ was a nickname my mom gave to me years ago whenever I got - well, a little rambunctious. Although, in my defense; _anyone_ would seem rambunctious next to Sarah. At first, it simply evolved from shortening Sienna to _En._Later, I think my mom added the _Miss_ as a bit of comedic flare. But, to tell you the truth, I loved it. Whenever mom called me that, I would immediately put my hand on my hip and strut around the room; leaving Sarah and my mom in fits of giggles. Sarah may have been the perfect child, but _I _had the sense of humor.

Mom was now coming over to hug me, and I was relieved that she had put the coffee mug down after having a near spill while she hugged Sarah. When she took a step back to share a look with me, I couldn't help but hang onto her retreating hand. Even though we would only be gone for the weekend, she already looked lonely.

"How about those manicures when we get back?" I said, smiling at her.

"I think my nails couldn't be improved upon," she said in a mocking, regal tone. As she said this, she held up her hand as if she were a model for dishwashing liquid. As naturally beautiful as my mother was, her fingernails were nothing less than disgusting. As a landscape architect, she insisted that having dirt-encrusted nails was an inevitable part of the job. Personally, I think that mom loved her work with plants so much that she didn't mind taking that small part of her job with her .

As if she read my mind, she said, "Don't worry about me, I have the job at the school to keep me busy the whole time you two are gone."

"With kids dreading going back in a couple of weeks, do they really think that we are going to take the time to notice some new bushes?" I asked, incredulously. Immediately though, I felt bad for possibly offending my mom and her work. "Not that you won't make it look as beautiful as it can look, mom - you always do."

"No offense taken, sweetie," mom said, laying her hand on my cheek. "I know that your attitude was toward the _client_ and not me. Although, I think that it's nice that they want to welcome you kids back in _style_." She grinned, and took a little bow.

"Well, we better get going – before mom's ego blocks the door." Sarah said, smiling.

"Good one!" my mother responded enthusiastically. "Your 17 now, it's high time you broke out of that shell and showed the family's sarcasm."

To prove that I was no slouch in the sarcasm department, I responded with a cheerful, "Group hug!" before we headed toward the door.

We all came together - arms outstretched to form a little circle of the three of us, and shuffled our feet in unison toward the door. Once we reached the front porch, we continued to wave our goodbyes as we walked toward, and finally got into, the car. After getting in, I couldn't resist blowing a kiss back at my mom. She pretended to catch it, and put it away in her pocket for safekeeping.

After the guilt of leaving our mom behind subsided, Sarah and I had a great time during the 45 minute drive to La Push. We listened to our favorite songs from our iPods on the car stereo, singing along as loud as we could. We talked about who we thought would still be a couple - now that summer break was almost over. And we even talked about who we thought was hot at our school, even though both of us agreed that the list was pitifully short. We decided that our dream guys would have to wait until college; or maybe a much needed transfer student would make our remaining high school years more appealing.

Sarah was going to be a senior this year, and she had already decided to take college correspondence courses from home after graduation – even though her grades would've given her a free academic ride to several interested schools. I couldn't figure out if this decision was based on her almost crippling shyness, or her desire to stay with our mom. We had always been a very close threesome, but that didn't keep me from wanting to venture out when the time came. As it was, I was only entering my junior year of high school, so I had a couple more years before I had to make that leap.

I had made the decision of what I wanted to do with my life back in elementary school. The afternoons Sarah and I spent reading and doing homework, while we watched my mother landscape, had given me a deep love of architecture. I adored looking at those buildings from all angles, while mom beautified the greenery on the outside. When I was allowed, I would relish the times that I could walk through the buildings and see how they were designed. The arches, the beams, the window panels; nothing escaped my notice. Buildings had personality to me, and I wanted nothing more than to have the chance to give my own buildings life when I got older. Luckily, the University of Washington had a great Architectural Design program – so, when I did venture away from home in a couple of years, it wouldn't be far.

After what seemed like no time at all, we were parking in front of Emily's house. She immediately pushed the screen door open, and seeing that it was us - rushed out to give us both welcoming hugs.

"Do you need any help carrying anything in?" she asked, beaming.

"No worries," Sarah said. "We only brought a couple of backpacks."

We were already grabbing the packs from the backseat as Sarah said this, and Emily put her arm around Sarah to give her another little squeeze as we walked toward the house.

"Leah is already here," Emily said. "We could get started right away, before Sam gets here. He's not big on all the planning, you know. He just wants me to tell him what to wear and when and where to show up. I just feel lucky that he's letting me have it all my way - as long as I don't go over the budget, of course."

I couldn't help but think - _Isn't that every guy's attitude toward weddings? _But, I wouldn't dream of saying anything to take away from Emily's excitement. Emily's timing was impeccable, because she had extended her arm around me to give me the same squeeze that Sarah had gotten, as she opened the screen door to usher us into the house.

My eyes met Leah's as soon as we entered the kitchen. She was sitting at the table, and glanced up at us quickly from busily sifting through wedding magazines. A little too busily, I thought. I knew that Leah was once in love with Sam, before he met Emily. Sarah had told me how sorry she felt for Leah, and my heart immediately ached for her, too. From the pictures that Emily had sent to Sarah and me, I couldn't help but notice that Leah looked differently - as if she wasn't taking as good a care of herself as I remembered. With some sadness, I realized that her once beautifully flowing hair had been chopped off rather carelessly. After what she had been through, I could hardly blame her for not caring as much about her appearance these days.

"Hey Leah," I said to her, expecting her to look up again from the magazines. She didn't.

"Can I get you guys anything?" Emily asked, in an obvious attempt to turn the tone of the meeting into a more cheerful one.

Sarah had moved over to gently squeeze Leah's shoulder as a greeting, I noticed. If this bothered Emily, she didn't show it. We all knew what Leah must be going through, and we wanted to make her feel as comfortable as we could. Even though this wasn't spoken aloud, we could feel it nonetheless.

"What did you bake?" Sarah asked, knowing that Emily wouldn't have missed an opportunity to utilize her extraordinary baking skills for our visit.

"Let it be brownies," I said, crossing my fingers and looking toward the heavens in a teasing gesture. A peripheral peek at Leah gave me the satisfaction of seeing her grin, albeit briefly.

"You know it, girlfriend. You weren't shy in telling me what your favorite was last time," Emily laughed. She was referring to my almost indecent moans of delight at tasting her peanut butter brownies the last time that we visited, but that was so long ago that I couldn't help but be touched by her memory.

My responding, "Hallelujah," gave everyone a chuckle – even Leah, who I knew I would be mentally counting the number of laughs I could give to this weekend. Leah and I weren't at all close like Sarah and Emily were, but her palpable heartbreak made me instantly worry about her. My role would be to make this however slightly easier it could be on her, I decided. Sarah would be devoting her attention to the bride, as any self respecting maid of honor should.

To my delight, the platter of brownies was quickly set in front of us, and we eagerly dug in as the wedding magazines were passed around the table. I was also delighted to see that, we fawned over pretty much the same dresses – and laughed out loud at what we all thought were chiffon monstrosities. I should've known that Emily would be easy to work with. I wasn't, however, expecting her to announce that she was, unbelievably, leaning toward an outdoor wedding.

"But Em, you know that the ceremony will get rained out most likely," Sarah said with concern.

"I know that it will probably rain, but I don't mind getting wet –even in my dress. I hope you guys don't mind either. We'll keep everything simple. I want to marry Sam on top of the cliff, where the guys dive. It's the only place that Sam feels… _free._"

I glanced from Sarah to Leah, hoping that I would get a clue as to what _free _meant, but both of them seemed unperturbed.

"Of course we'll get a little wet, if it means that much to you." Sarah assured Emily.

"It does," Emily confirmed, reaching out to lay her hand on Sarah's. "And I think that it will mean a lot to Sam, too. It will be my wedding gift to him."

I was beginning to get the distinct impression that I was the only one in the room that was missing something important.

"I wonder if they offer raincoats with lace," I said, pretending to flip through the well worn pages of the magazines. Leah wasn't the only one that could use the magazines to hide her discomfort, I decided. Everyone was chuckling when we heard the screen door open.

"Sam," Emily beamed. "You're just in time – I was about to start fixing dinner. You can catch up with Sarah and Sienna before…," Emily trailed off as she took in the look on Sam's face.

"Hey, Sarah…Sienna…," Sam said, glancing over to the table to give us a quick smile. "Emily, Leah and I need to go…for a little while…," he acted as if he wanted to say more but he held back - I could only assume because Sarah and I were in the room. He was looking meaningfully at Emily, trying to tell her something without saying the words aloud.

Finally, not being able to leave her without more of an explanation, Sam whispered, "Jake's coming back. We want to be there… just in case." Comprehension flitted across Emily's face, and she nodded back at him.

Sam looked at Leah, and she rose from the table without a word. The two of them walked quickly to the door. Almost as an afterthought, Sam looked over at us sitting slightly dumbfounded at the table. "Hey, if you guys didn't save me a brownie – you're in big trouble when I get back," he said, smiling as the door slammed behind him.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. The name Jake had resonated with me, although I couldn't think of a reason as to why it would.

"No, nothing like that," Emily said. "There's another wedding going on tonight - some people that we know. Sam is always making sure that the guys around here don't get out of hand. He…wants to make sure that the reception doesn't get too… rowdy."

"This Jake must be quite the partier," I said, looking at Sarah to see if she was as lost as I was. Instead, Sarah was looking somberly back at Emily. It didn't escape my notice that Emily's nonchalance and Sarah's troubled expression did not match up.

"Jacob Black, right?" Sarah clarified.

"Yeah," Emily said. "He's been away. It's a friend of his who's getting married."

My intuition flickered. _Ex- girlfriend getting married, more like, _I thought_. Why else would Sam be going to keep the peace? Jacob Black must be bad news._

"Sarah, how do you know Jacob? Have you…I mean…have _we_, met him before?" My curiosity was killing me, but I tried to sound indifferent. I'm sure that Sarah could see right through my pretense.

"You probably wouldn't remember Sienna; it was very brief…years ago. Mom knows his dad, and some other folks around here, but you know…they fell out of touch."

As my brain tried to process all of the pieces of this scenario that didn't quite fit, I was now certain that I wasn't aware of all of the goings-on at La Push, or with my family for that matter. More importantly, I wondered how the two things were connected.

Sarah, Emily, and I were left to have a quiet dinner – just the three of us. Sam and Leah were obviously needed elsewhere, and it left Emily with worry and me with unanswered questions.

After picking at dinner, and helping to clear the table, I left Sarah and Emily to the task of washing the dishes. Something told me that they wanted to talk, and I felt that I would be considered an eavesdropper if I stuck around while they did. I told them that I wanted to take a brief walk around the reservation - but in reality, I just wanted a chance to think.

I wandered aimlessly, not knowing where I'd end up exactly. I was thankful that it was August, and the night was warm - even for Washington. I found myself walking along the beach, enjoying the moon and stars reflected in the water. Finally, I found a tree root that had twisted its way out of the ground to make a perfect bench. Immediately after settling there, I started to decide what questions I would fling at Sarah the moment I got back to Emily's house. It wasn't long, however, before my thoughts were interrupted.

My head snapped up as I noticed that a few people had started to come out of the trees; across the parking lot from where I was sitting. Loud voices could be heard, although I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. I realized quickly that one of the voices belonged to Sam. I could tell that someone was really angry in their group, and that the others were trying to calm the person down. Everything in my body was telling me to move – that I shouldn't be there. The anger washing off the person was so intense that it filled the air and wafted over to me – like emotional electricity that made me the shiver.

"Just leave me _alone,_" an angry male voice almost growled as the person talking walked quickly toward me. "I mean it Sam; go back to Emily's place. Damn it, I'd phase, but then you'd be able to annoy me that much more."

"I've got this, Sam," a younger male voice shouted, running to keep up with what I could now see was a taller shadow. "Jake, wait up."

Jake, as I now knew who the angry person was, actually yelled out in frustration. "AARGH…I left, didn't I? Why won't you two back off?"

"You almost took Bella's arms with you though, bro," the younger voice said. I couldn't believe how brave this kid was being. I was about to hide under the tree root, but my body still refused to move.

Jacob had finally reached the dusting of pebbles at the beach lining, and he wasted no time kicking them wildly in his anger. Inadvertently, I sucked in a quick intake of breath as a few of the flying pebbles barely missed my head.

To my horror, Jake must have heard the noise that I made, because he froze where he stood. Unbelievably, his palpable anger seemed to start evaporating in that instant. His eyes, which seemed unfocused a moment before, snapped over to look at me intently. When he turned to look at me, the moon finally illuminated his face, and incredibly, I could see a transformation taking place there.

He stared at me, with what I could only describe as incredulity, as he asked in a whisper, "Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm…I'm fine," I said, through my now chattering teeth. I noticed that Jake was only wearing jean cut-offs, while the younger boy next to him was wearing a suit. _A suit made sense for wedding attire, but jean cut-offs?_

"Seth, give me your jacket," Jake asked, still not breaking eye contact with me. Seth obliged, and handed the garment over to him. As Jacob took a few tentative steps toward me, presumably to hand me the coat, he held up his free hand as though to show me that he meant no harm to me.

_It was my turn to freeze. _

As the rest of my body suddenly became immobile, my mind began sifting wildly through my old memories. Finally, I remembered a snowy night, long ago; looking at this same face through a frosty car window_. I didn't want to leave him then; how could I have forgotten such a strong feeling so thoroughly?_ He was standing over me now, his hair hanging in shaggy strips around his face as he gently pulled me up into a standing position to put the jacket around my shoulders.

"You must have been angry when you cut your hair," I said, reaching up to touch one of the ends gingerly. It felt completely comfortable talking to him; as if I were merely continuing a conversation that had been interrupted years before. I took my eyes away from his hair, and tentatively tried smiling up at him.

"Something like that," he chuckled. I was weak with relief to see his handsome, dark face break into a genuine smile. The hand that once held the jacket ran absent-mindedly through his tangle of dark hair, as if to try and make it look better. His other hand rose so that his thumb could rest lightly on my chin.

"You're really here," he said in a quiet voice; his thumb now tracing my jaw line.

"I was beginning to think….," he trailed off, his hand now feeling the tendrils of my hair at the base of my neck. He was looking at me with what could only be described as wonder. If I hadn't felt an undeniable connection to him as well, I would've surely felt more awkward standing so close to a guy that I hadn't even been formally introduced to.

"So…you have to tell me," he said, still in a hushed tone.

"Tell you what?" I asked inattentively. My concentration was being tested as I fought the urge to reach up and touch his face, as his thumb was now brushing the side of my cheek.

Without hesitation, or humor, he asked intently, _"Where the hell have you been?"_


	3. 2 Impact

2. IMPACT

"Where have I been?_"_ I asked, confused. "Right here…in Washington, I mean. Beaver…to be exact…," I trailed off, uncertain as to what exactly he wanted to hear.

His hand moved from my face to my hand, and intertwined his fingers with mine. I looked down at my hand within his, and the comfort that it brought me was indescribable.

"All this time, you were so close…" he said softly, shaking his head slightly as he looked down at our clasped hands. I noticed that he had an incredulous smile playing on his down-cast face. Finally he raised those hands upward to place over his heart, and moved his other hand to cover them. "I have been so stupid."

I was vaguely aware of being confused at his words, but I didn't care. Every sentiment caused my stomach to do a somersault.

An awkward cough, from a short distance away, reminded me that there were people besides Jake and me on the beach. Well, on the _planet_, for that matter.

When both of us reluctantly looked over at the people who were standing just a few feet away, the combined mixture of their facial features was almost comical. Leah now stood with her hand on her hip, looking agitated. Sam looked dumbfounded and concerned. And Seth, as I now remembered as Leah's little brother, had an enormous grin spreading across his face.

"Ugh," Leah snapped. "Can we go already? I think it's safe to say he's not a threat anymore – _other than to my stomach_."

Sam ignored her, as he scrutinized my face. "Sienna…err…_do you know… Jake_?"

"Um, I think I do now" I said, although I noticed that the statement ended by sounding slightly more as a question. I looked up at Jake's face for confirmation, and his responding smile spread warmth throughout my body.

Seth took no time in coming over and patting Jacob's shoulder enthusiastically. I didn't remember Seth at all, but I liked him almost instantly. After shooting a meaningful look at Jake, he turned his attention to me. "Sienna, your Sarah's little sister, right? Leah's been talking about the two of you coming."

I held out my left hand to shake his right, and nodded my head. "Sienna Pike," I smiled up at him. "And your Leah's little brother… Seth," I responded. As I said this, I tried to nod over at Leah, but she just rolled her eyes. I had truly meant to try and make things easier on Seth's big sister, but that no longer seemed a possibility at the moment.

Seth scowled a little over at his sister, who was now picking at her nails with exaggerated effort. "Yeah, lucky me," he murmured, turning to face me again. There was a small apologetic look on his face, as if to say _she's really not that bad._

I tried to look back at Seth to let him know that I understood - that I would continue to try to make things easier on her, knowing that what would be happening in the next few months would be painful for her. That I might even try to become a friend to her, because I felt like she needed one - _desperately_. I was also aware that, what I was rapidly feeling toward Jake was exactly the kind of salt that she didn't need to have rubbed in her already gaping wound. But, I was certain that I couldn't stop this – not even if I wanted to. I knew that Seth couldn't have gotten all of my unspoken sentiment about Leah through my facial expression, but his face wore a look of slight comprehension nonetheless. I had the impression that he had tentatively decided that he liked me, too.

"Well, do we all want to go back over to Emily's?" Sam asked, sounding hopeful - but also like he knew the answer before he asked. Sam looked worried, although I couldn't imagine why. Jake's explosive temper tantrum was a distant memory to me already. My brain was telling me that that was illogical; _that I should be afraid of him. _But, my heart, and my instinct, told me otherwise.

Jake was looking down at me for my answer to Sam's invitation, hesitating to answer himself. He was giving me the choice to be with him, but, in my mind, there was nothing to think about.

"I'm going home and going to _bed_," Leah interrupted before I had a chance to speak. She shot a defiant look at Sam, challenging him to argue. He didn't. His eyes were still fixed on Jacob and me.

"Yeah, I'm beat, too – thanks for the invite, Sam, but mom's probably back at home and worried about us by now." I got the feeling that Seth was trying to smooth over Leah's agitated reply to Sam's offer. Seth must be very busy playing peacemaker for Leah.

"Of course, Seth," Sam responded. "Tell Sue I'm sorry for keeping the two of you out so late. Well, that _Jacob _kept you out so late."

"Sure thing. Night Sam, Jake, Sienna…I'll be seeing you around," Seth said – nodding to each of us in turn. The wide smile was still fixed on his face, despite his sister's bad mood.

"Night Seth," I waved after at him as he began walking away from us. Leah had already begun walking, and was almost across the parking lot. _I had to try_. "Night Leah," I called. She held up her hand jerkily. _Well, at least the middle finger wasn't extended upward by itself, _I thought, slightly grinning.

My focus now went back to Jake's face, and he was looking at Sam intently. I liked Sam, but I was beginning to understand what Jake meant when he said that Sam was being…well, _annoying_. I wanted nothing more than to be alone with Jake right now. I didn't care that it was late, or that normally I would feel really uncomfortable being with a guy that I hardly knew on a darkened beach - I wanted the chance to know get to know him better, _now_.

"Sam, I…erm…wouldn't mind spending a little more time with Jake before we head back to Emily's…if that's okay with you."

"I'm with Sienna," Jacob said, sounding slightly relieved at my answer.

"Okay," Sam said, a little uncomfortably it seemed. He stuffed his hands in his jean cut-offs, as he kicked the pebbles around at his feet. It seemed like he was trying to think of the magic words that would make Jake and I come with him. Finally, he said, "Jake, you know, Emily kind of knew me…well, through Leah…before we started spending time together, you know? I just thought Sienna might feel more comfortable if the two of you could get to know one another with Emily and me around."

"No worries, Sam," Jacob said, solemnly. "I've got this."

Sam finally looked resigned. "Well, Sienna, if you're sure… I guess I'll go on over there and finally have that brownie that I missed out on earlier." An unconvincing smile appeared on his face briefly, as he started to turn slowly away from us.

"I know that Emily will be happy to share all of our hard work with you," I teased. "And Sam, would you mind telling Sarah where I am, and that I'm okay?" I wanted him, and Sarah, to know that I was completely at ease with staying right where I was.

"Will do," he said. "Give us a howl if you need anything." He hesitated in his turn, like he had just said something out of line – but quickly shook it off, and began running toward Emily's house. Finally…_mercifully…_ Jake and I were alone.

"Want to walk with me?" Jake quietly asked. His eyes moved from the tip of my chin to my eyes, seemingly taking in every feature of my face in the process.

"I'd like that," I responded, in an equally hushed tone. Why we were keeping our voices so low, I wasn't sure. It felt like we had a secret that only the two of us fully understood – a secret that we weren't ready to share with the rest of the world.

"I'll give you the tourist special, for _free_," he smiled. "La Push is quite the destination, you know," he teasingly said.

"Second only to Beaver, I'm sure," I laughed. I looked up at his face more seriously for a moment. "Um… where should we go first?"

"Let's just see where the road takes us," he chuckled.

We walked, hand in hand, across the parking lot and started up the road that led away from the beach; away from Emily's house. Every now and then our shoulders would gently nudge one another, sending a palpable wave of heat through my body. By his almost constant stream of glances at me, I was certain that he was feeling the same waves of emotion that I was.

"So, is Sarah your only sister?" he asked, as we had begun talking about our families now.

"Yeah, and after seeing Leah and Seth tonight – I consider myself lucky to have Sarah," I said jokingly. "But, seriously, you'll love Sarah – everyone does."

"Yeah, but, it's Sarah's sister that I think I'm falling in love with," he said. "I know that's coming on too strong, and I'd like to say that I'm sorry 'bout that, but I'm not."

"I don't want you to be sorry…I can't believe that I'm going to say this…but, it feels like I was out of place before, but never really knew it. Like, I'm finally where I was meant to be. I know that that sounds crazy…but, I've never made a leap like this before…so quick, I mean. I'm sorry; I know I'm not making any sense tonight."

"You can't imagine how much sense you're making. You are the first thing that has made sense in my life for a long time."

With every heartfelt word he said, I was filled with overwhelming emotion.

We wandered quite a bit further down the road, and it looked like we were heading into the trees of the dense forest that surrounded the tiny houses of the reservation, when Jacob pointed at the last home situated closest to the woods. "That's my house," he said. "The shed out back is where I like to work on cars," he shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

"Maybe you can teach me some things - nobody wants to get stranded if they can help it," I said. My interest in anything mechanical was nonexistent, but the thought of spending time with him to _do anything_ was my motivation for the suggestion. His responding throaty laugh made my heart skip a beat.

"Who lives there with you?" I asked. I thought he was just as interesting as he evidently thought I was.

"It's just my dad and me…right now. My sister Rachel is coming home from college soon though. My other sister Rebecca lives in Hawaii, so we never see her anymore."

"And, you're mom?" I remembered the sweet looking lady that was gently trying to coax Jake into their truck all those years ago.

"She died in a car crash…probably not long after we saw you around Christmas that year. Icy roads and Christmas shopping don't keep the same company very well, you know?"

"Jake…I'm so sorry…I didn't know…"

"S'ok…it's been a long time now. You don't forget, but it gets easier…" he shook his head slightly, as if to shake off the memory.

"Wait, I remember seeing your mom that night…was your dad back at home or something?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation back to me.

"Nah, it's just been my mom, Sarah, and me. Never met my dad, and according to my mom that's a good thing." Now, it was my turn to shrug my shoulders and act like not having a parent was no big deal.

He stopped walking and grabbed my other hand in his. "He's an idiot, you know. For not having you in his life." He said; his eyes boring into mine.

Of all the times in my life that I had been asked why I didn't have a dad - that was the first time that I ever remembered smiling after I had answered the question.

We began walking again, and the cool breeze made me glad that Seth hadn't remembered to take his jacket back. It still hung forgotten over my shoulders. As soon as we broke the wood's edge, we came across a darkened shape among the trees. It had such an irregular shadow that I couldn't quite make out what it was exactly. Jake was walking over to it, without hesitation, and so I followed. I think that I would be comfortable following him anywhere.

"I thought maybe this would be a place where we could sit and talk," he said.

He grabbed the edge of what sounded like a tarp near the ground of the mystery object, and lifted it, revealing an antiquated truck. I couldn't quite make out the exact color or condition of it in the moonlight, but it didn't look like it had been abandoned here long. There was no overgrowth of green foliage that covers anything unkempt in Washington.

"Is this one of your mechanical projects?" I asked.

He laughed absent-mindedly as he began to fold the tarp into a soft rectangle.

"Nah, this one belonged to a friend of mine. It ran for a while, but I didn't want to send it to the junk yard yet. It's a classic, you know? Or, at least, that's what I told myself at the time. To tell you the truth, I didn't know why I was still hanging onto it…until now. That's the part of me that was being an idiot."

I didn't understand what he was talking about, but I decided that I didn't want to know, just yet. I wanted to think of him as mine before there was doubt placed in my mind.

I had expected him to open the door to the cab, but instead, he spread the folded tarp into the truck's bed. He jumped up onto the higher surface with ease, not even bothering to lower the tail gate, and reached down to put his large hands on either side of my waist to lift me up to him, rather than taking the easier option of pulling me up by clasping my hand. When my feet lightly touched the truck bed, he hesitated before he released me. My arms, which had grabbed his while he lifted me, didn't drop either. For one moment, his lips seemed to be easing toward mine, and I held my breath. With what seemed like much effort, however, he took a step back when our faces were only about an inch apart. He grabbed my hand to lead me to the other end of the truck bed – presumably where we could rest our backs on the truck's cab.

"You must think I'm insane by now," he said in a low tone as we sat down to face one another. "One minute I look like I'm about to kill somebody…the next, I almost try to kiss you after knowing you… what…a whole two hours?"

"Would you think I was insane for wanting you to?" I asked, chuckling a little while I spoke the irony aloud.

"There's so much to say…I don't even know where to begin," he said. "If you're not seriously freaked out by now…just wait…_you will be_."

"I don't know how to describe it…but something tells me I won't be," I whispered back, giving him a meaningful look. I knew, deep within me, that that was the truth. I was where I was supposed to be, without a doubt. Although, I hated to admit it - I _knew_ where I wanted him to begin.

I took a breath before asking, "_Jake, why were you so angry earlier tonight?"_

His answering stare made my stomach clench. It confirmed the obvious. He was at a wedding - just a few hours ago – _of someone that he had loved; someone who evidently hadn't loved him back. _When we were on the beach, and he immediately changed and seemed to return my feelings so completely, it was easy to forget how this night began. Sitting here now, facing him, feeling like I had known him for years instead of hours – I couldn't imagine someone belonging to him the way I felt I did. I reflexively removed my hands, which had been holding his stretched across our laps. Pain was coming, and I was preparing myself for it.

"Don't Sienna," he murmured, as he extended his hand to clasp mine again. "Yours is the hand that fits in mine – I know you feel it, too. I don't know if I can find the words, but I'll stay here all night to try to make you understand."

I was so lost in Jacob's meaningful gaze that I jumped slightly as I heard a pitiful sound of a nearby wolf, howling at the moon. The creature sounded as if it was in pain, and my eyes searched quickly around the truck to see if I could catch a glimpse of the animal. When my eyes settled back on Jake's face, I was shocked to see him roll his eyes.

"Do you think that it's hurt? What can we do?" I asked, still not understanding his odd reaction.

"The only way that we can help is to find Embry someone to imprint on…_so dramatic_. Sure, he's one of the few left now…but jeez…you'd think that he was dying or something."

I blinked. "Huh?" was my brilliant response, not knowing what else to say.

"Well, wolves, uh…_communicate_ like that." He seemed pleased with his explanation. "Only, they usually don't sound that pathetic." I couldn't be sure, but I could swear I heard him mutter the words "_big cry baby" _under his breath.

"Okay, maybe we shouldn't start with why you were so mad earlier, and you can tell me _why you think you can understand wolves_." I said; a slight wave of panic washed over me as I thought of how premature I'd been to say that I wouldn't freak out - no matter what he had to tell me.

"Hold on…like I said, it may take all night…but I won't stop trying until you understand _everything_." He took a sharp intake of breath, and clasped one hand on the back of his neck. I waited for him to begin, taking calming breaths all the while.

"What tribe is your mom from?" he asked.

"Hoh," I answered, not knowing why he asked.

"Okay…we have a lot of the same legends between our tribes. That's good; let's start with that. Remember the one about the Quileutes being spirit warriors in Kaheleha's time?"

"My mom told that one to me and Sarah when we were little," I answered, perplexed. I didn't like where this was going.

"And then, long after Kaheleha, Chief Taha Aki had to share the body…,"

"Of a wolf," I said – finishing his sentence. I was beginning to feel numb. The rush of all of my emotions – first fear, then attraction, and now disbelief had finally caught up with me. I teetered slightly as I tried to remain upright.

"Yeah, well…that's how it got started. _That's why we still turn into wolves_…"

"_I have to go,"_ I interrupted. I had to leave; to run from the disappointment that was now crashing down on me. _How could I be so stupid? I had fallen so hard, almost at first sight, for Jacob like a complete idiot. _Even thoughI still, _unbelievably, _felt like I wanted to stay with Jake – I needed to escape to Emily's and have some _normalcy_ again. Maybe, in the morning, Jake would tell me that he was joking, and we'd have a laugh, and maybe we could even share that kiss that I wanted so desperately a little while ago.

I stood up, and took a step toward the end of the truck bed, before the blackness began to cloud the periphery of my vision. For a split second, I stupidly remembered how glad I was that Jake had spread the tarp across the hard steel surface of the truck bed floor, as my body began to fall forward. The last thing that I remembered was two strong arms catching me gently - long before my body had time to make impact on the ground. 


	4. 3 Revelation

3. REVELATION

The wind whipped around me as I floated above my lifeless body below. Jacob was still seated on the truck bed, cradling me to him. His face looked panic-stricken as he brushed the hair from my face - all the while whispering urgently for me to wake up.

"_I'm right here, Jake," _I tried to say, but no sound came from my lips.

I wanted to stay with him, and with my body, until everything went back to normal. _Normalcy was what I wanted to get back to before I fainted – or whatever had happened to me._ Instead, I only became more terrified as I rose higher and higher – away from the scene below me; like a balloon that had been accidentally lost by a child. I realized with horror that I couldn't control what was happening to me, and I didn't know what was causing my movements any longer. It seemed that I was at the mercy of the wind, and where it might carry me.

Once I reached the treetops, I began looking wildly around from the new height, and realized with a slight shock that everything looked as though it were in shades of grey. It was night, I knew, but even the huge pine trees - now at the bottom of my dangling feet – were devoid of color.

There was only one explanation that made sense to me, and I shuddered with sadness as I thought of the possibility. _I must have died._ _I was having an out-of-body-experience that matched accounts of people who had died and come back to life. Would I return to life, or was this my final_ _goodbye?_ I thought of Jake, and how I had just found him. It seemed cruel that I wouldn't have him in my life now. My suddenly tortured thoughts then turned to my sister. How would kind and timid Sarah get along without me pushing her when she needed to be pushed?

The moment that I thought of Sarah, to my surprise I began quickly drifting in the direction of what I knew was Emily's house. I had a moment's pause before Jacob disappeared completely from my sight. _Goodbye, Jacob. I really think…that I love you. _I helplessly thought, before the wind carried me away.

I saw the road below me; the shiny pavement moving past in almost a blur. The subtle waves reaching the shore line of the beach drew my attention and I drifted over the mist and smelled the salt air as I drew closer to Emily's. As I reached the house, I wanted to see Sarah so badly that I hardly noticed drifting through the window, even though it was obviously closed.

Sam, Emily, and Sarah were gathered around the kitchen table – the same way that I remembered talking about the wedding details only few hours before.

"So, now that it's happened, how does it affect Sienna?" Sarah asked. The worry was obvious on her face as she spoke.

"For Jake, it's absolute. For Sienna, it's a choice." Sam responded, solemnly.

"I mean no offense to you, Sam, but remembering you and Emily is what's scaring me the most right now," Sarah said intently; her eyes staring down at the coffee mug rather than Sam's face.

"How could I take offense when you're only telling the truth? I know what I did," his face awash with pain as he grasped Emily's hand on the table.

"Enough," Emily said, softly but firmly. "It does no good revisiting that at the moment. We have to think about Sienna right now."

"It's just… we know imprinting isn't always a fairy tale," Sam said, looking sadly at Emily's face. His other hand reached out to touch her face, and to stroke the scars that I now assumed came from _him_ - and not a bear after all. _It was all too much - the shocks were coming faster than my brain could process them._

"I would gladly go through any pain again, if it meant having you in my life," Emily said, her eyes boring into Sam's.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing abruptly cut off their conversation.

Emily patted Sam's hand upon her face softly, before she rose to answer it.

"Hello?" she said, hesitantly. It would be pretty late by now, so I would imagine she was worried that something was wrong.

"My God," she said. "We'll be right there." She hung the phone violently back on the receiver.

"Sienna's collapsed. She's unconscious," she almost barked at Sam and Sarah.

_Sarah,_ _I'm right here_, I thought again, futilely.

Sam and Sarah rose from their chairs so quickly, one toppled over to the ground in their haste. Sarah had grabbed her bag, and was fishing wildly for what I could guess were the car keys. Sam was already through the screen door, Emily close on his heels. I stayed with Sarah, and listened to her whisper, "_Please let her be okay," _over and over again under her breath until she finally found the missing keys. Keys in hand, Sarah was now running out the door and I followed closely behind her.

"They've called Dr. Cullen. He might already be there." Emily called after Sam, who was now running toward the trees that edged along Emily's house.

I wanted to stay with Sarah, but my curiosity of why Sam hadn't gotten in the car with Emily and Sarah pulled me almost unwillingly toward him. The moment that he approached the tree lining, an occurrence happened that I could only describe as a small explosion. Irregularly shaped objects began flying through the air; and when I was able to briefly look at them scattered on the ground, I realized that they appeared to be bits of denim. When I looked up from examining the scraps of jeans lying at my feet, I was shocked to find myself staring into the eyes of a large black wolf.

His muzzle didn't move, but it was Sam's voice that I heard nonetheless.

_Sienna…oh, my God…is that you? _Sam's voice resonated clearly in my mind.

Amidst the confusion that was swirling in my mind, I could only be grateful that I had the chance to talk with someone before I was sure I had to leave.

_Sam, I think that I'm dead. Will you tell my family…and Jake…that I love them? _The emotion of leaving them was crashing down upon me now; the intensity was almost crippling.

_I'm not sure what's going on exactly…but I don't think you need to say your goodbyes just yet. Can you follow me? _Sam's thoughts were still echoing in my mind.

I focused my energy on following the gigantic wolf as he turned and began running toward the Black's house – where my body must now be.

When we arrived outside Jacob's house, Sam hesitated outside of the door.

_I'm going to have to change back, Sienna. It will be the easiest way to tell the others that I've seen you. I want you to concentrate on being in your body again, and it will be alright – I promise you. I'll see you inside, okay?_

_ I'm scared, Sam. But, I'll try. _I thought, rather than spoke the words, back to him.

His giant head nodded once, and he began running toward the back of the house. I was alone, staring at the front door, willing myself to go in.

I concentrated on my body, and evaporated through the solid surface of the door. I was in a tiny kitchen, and heard voices coming from what sounded like the next room. I gravitated toward them, hesitantly.

I saw my body then, lying on what looked like a much abused couch. I've never considered myself particularly beautiful, but as I stared at my unconscious face, I couldn't help but be struck by my likeness to Snow White after she had bitten the poisoned apple. I had always been slightly jealous of Sarah, because she had the thick, shiny black hair and dark skin that people always envision when they think of natives. My hair was long and black, but thinner than hers, and was prone to curl at the ends when the air was full of moisture. My skin, while not as pale as what a Caucasian's skin would be, was still not the rich brown of my sister's. But, for the first time - staring at myself now - my lighter skin and black hair looked…well, _nice _together.

Jake was pacing frantically near the couch - his hands clasped behind his neck. It seemed that Jacob's worry was making him unable to sit, and my heart ached to see him like that. An older man, who I guessed was Jacob's father, was sitting in a wheelchair that was resting at the end of the couch that now held my feet. A blond doctor leaned over me, opening my eyelids to shine a ray of light into my eyes with a thin silver flashlight.

"What's wrong with her doc?" Jacob asked in a shaking voice - still pacing as he spoke.

"It appears that she has fainted due to the shock of your… _admission_, Jacob." The doctor responded while holding my wrist, presumably to feel my pulse.

"But, that was over a half an hour ago…she shouldn't be out this long…," Jake said, rubbing his face with both hands as though he wished to pull the skin off his bones.

Sam entered the living room from the back hallway then, having pulled on another pair of shorts. He quickly looked at my body, then to the doctor.

"She hasn't come around yet?" he asked, his eyes intent.

"Not yet…but don't worry. I've seen this before; some people protect themselves in this manner. When they are ready to face what is before them, they wake," the doctor reassured Sam simply.

"Sienna, are you still here?" Sam called, looking around at the ceiling. "It's time to come back. You're worrying Jake half to death," he was trying to lighten the mood – but I could still sense his worry that something had gone wrong and he'd lost me.

"That's not even funny, bro," Jacob snapped.

"Just wait," Sam responded.

Sam was right, _it was time_, and I concentrated all of my might on returning to my body - just as he had instructed me to do.

The next thing that I was aware of was Jake's huge hands on either side of my face.

"You can't do that to me again. I couldn't stand losing you – I lost myself right along with you," he whispered urgently in my ear.

"I'm sorry, Jake," I whispered. The lamps on either side of the couch seemed so bright, bringing alive the colors that I hadn't seen in what seemed like a long time. "_What you were telling_ _me…earlier_…_it's true_. _Sam was a wolf… I talked to him. H-, he…helped me_," I trailed off, looking up at Sam for confirmation that I wasn't crazy. Like in his wolf form, he answered my unspoken question with a single nod.

"Hello, Sienna. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen - but please just call me Carlisle. You gave everyone here quite a scare, and they thought that perhaps I could be of assistance," the handsome man smiled down at me.

"Thank you," I said softly. I was still disoriented; but quickly trying to absorb my present surroundings. As I looked into the doctor's eyes, I noticed that they were a rich golden color. I had never seen eyes that color before. I wondered if my eyes were still adjusting from what I had just been through.

"Would you mind if I checked a couple of things before I return home?" he asked, very politely.

"Um…sure," I said, still feeling a bit preoccupied by the color of his unusual eyes.

His very pale hands gently gripped my skull on either side, feeling for what I would assume were bumps. The moment his fingertips touched my skin, it felt like there were ten pin-pricks of ice contacting my scalp. I involuntarily jumped.

"I'm so sorry…I always forget to warm my hands before I check a patient," he chuckled, rubbing his hands on his pant legs.

"She didn't hit her head doc; I caught her way before she hit anything. She just went limp in my arms," Jake said in a rushed tone.

"Well, then, we'll have to assume it was the shock after all," Carlisle said, getting a thermometer out of his bag and putting it in my mouth. "Let's make sure that you're not showing any other signs of shock, alright?" He reached out to pat my shoulder, but evidently thought better of it and let his hand drop awkwardly at my side instead.

After the thermometer was put into place, and my nose was all that I was relying on to breathe, I thought I smelled the faint odor of some sort of cleaning solution. Even though the Blacks were an all-male household - I had to be impressed by how clean their house smelled.

The doctor took the thermometer out of my mouth, and looked thoughtful.

"You're running a bit warm," he said, looking cautiously back at me. "101.9."

"I have a feeling that isn't due to a fever, Dr. Cullen," Sam suddenly interjected.

"Ah…the legends continue to fascinate me," the doctor said, smiling back at Sam. "I've once again found myself out of my element. If you're sure that Sienna is well, I'll leave all of you to further discuss the matter privately."

"Many thanks, Carlisle," Jacob's father's deep voice said. "We are indebted to you, again."

"Make no mention of it, Billy. Now that the excitement of the wedding is over, we've found ourselves back to normal at our house," he chuckled.

"Send Edward and Bella our best when they return," Billy said, as the doctor secured his instruments back in his leather bag.

"Of course," Carlisle responded.

"Thank you…again," I said, smiling sheepishly up at the doctor as he rose to leave.

"Under different circumstances, I would have welcomed the opportunity to meet you," he said genuinely back to me. He nodded to everyone, and swiftly exited the room.

With the doctor's exit, my eyes now settled on Emily and Sarah huddled by the doorway.

_"Sarah,"_ I said; my voice thick with relief at finally seeing my sister again.

"I'm so glad that you are okay," Sarah said, cautiously coming over to me. She stole a quick glance at Jake as she reached the couch edge.

"I'd never hurt her Sarah, you have to know that," Jake said, sounding almost stricken.

Sarah looked away from investigating my face to look back at Jacob. "I've just seen too much, Jake. That's why mom hardly ever let us around you Quileute boys. She was afraid something like this might happen," she tried to smile, but it was a feeble attempt.

"Whether it's fate, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it…we would have found one another…eventually," Jake said, his eyes looking meaningfully back at Sarah.

"The funny thing is - I know that. But, it doesn't make me any less worried about it," Sarah replied, matching Jacob's intensity. _I had never known my sister to be so bold before._ "I'm going to have to ask you for one favor though – please take this _slowly_. Things don't all have to come crashing down on my sister at once – you saw what that did to her tonight," she continued fiercely.

"I just got caught up in the moment - I didn't expect her to feel the same way as I did. Everyone told me that it took time for someone to return our kind of feelings - but with Sienna and me, it felt _instant_ all the way around."

I finally found my voice. "I'm conscience now, so would everyone please include me in this conversation? I need someone to make sense of what happened tonight. I felt terrified until I saw Sam, but he seemed to have an idea as to what might be going on…." I trailed off while I gave Sam an inquisitive look.

"I'd like to be clued in myself," Jacob said, turning to sit on the floor so that he could face Sam instead of me.

Sam exchanged a look with Emily and Billy.

"I communicated with Sienna when I was in wolf form. I saw her…in spirit…and the words that I thought in my mind traveled to her…"

"_The same way that our thoughts travel in the pack," _both Sam and Jake said, in unison. For Sam, it merely sounded as a statement of fact – for Jake; however, it sounded more like a question.

Billy looked slightly taken aback. "She appeared to you as spirit?"

A panicked knot began developing in the pit of my stomach. "_Does that mean that I died_ _tonight?" _I asked in a hushed tone, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"No, turning into your spirit form is not dying – it's what our people could do…before the wolves became our chosen form," Sam said to me, in a comforting tone.

"_Sarah_," I hesitated, still talking in barely more than a whisper. "_Have you had this happen…too?"_

"_No," _she whispered back, reaching around my back to hug me to her. "I'm assuming that it's being here – having the imprint with Jake and all. I haven't had that yet. I'd be jealous if I didn't fully understand the dangers involved with…_that kind of love_."

"_Imprint… what does that mean?"_ I asked, still confused.

_"It means that you are my soul mate, and I knew it the moment I saw you. Thing is…I thought you felt it too…that's why I told you everything so soon. I don't want to keep anything from you – ever,"_ Jake said, having turned to look at me intently.

"_I did feel it - I felt drawn to you even when we were kids," _I smiled, looking down with slight embarrassment at admitting it so openly. Jacob wasn't having any embarrassment, though – he put one long finger under my chin to lift it; to look into my face with an unashamed answering smile of his own.

"Billy…if she has the capability of shifting…_even into another form_… could she have the ability to… _imprint_ as well?" Sam asked, in a serious tone.

Billy looked as though he pondered the idea a moment before answering. "I wouldn't see why not – it would make sense for anyone possessing the gene to have the capability to know who they were best mated with. The tribe's survival depended on it."

"I don't understand…Sarah," I said, exasperated. "Why would I have a gene that would make me turn into something else? It doesn't make sense - we're not even Quileute. Mom's never had this happen to her before…_has she?"_

Instead of answering me, Sarah looked at Sam.

"I guess it's time that I told you, Sienna," Sam paused to look uncomfortably at the ground before looking back at my confused face. "The reason that Emily has been so committed to include you and Sarah in our lives…well, it's because she thought I should know my _half sisters_."

I stared back at him in disbelief, trying to make sense of what he was telling me.

He cleared his throat, nervously. "You see… I have a different mother than you and Sarah… but _we share the same father."_


End file.
